It has been a bit but here are some pics from Peru. I broke my good camera so it will be a bit before I get the good pics in. But these should do. (sorry for the spelling)
I never made it to the Intyramie Festival but I did witness the dancing in the streets for the week prior. It is basically their Mardi Gras. Every day and night the dancing successively became better and better and by the final night everyone is decked out in elaborate costumes and most of them are as drunk as can be. At one point there were four port-a-potties lined up they not only were full but there were nine other dude surrounding them relieving themselves. It was pure insanity.
Back to the interesting stuff... Everywhere I laid my eyes I was amazed. The Inca empire at its height was enormous, 25 million people and it reached through Peru parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. They worked in harmony with nature wherever they settled. They terraced and farmed on some incredibly steep faces across the Andes. Everywhere you looked there was some sort of remanence of the Incas. I hiked peak after peak always finding ruins or farm land.
Two of the days Tim and I rented motorcycles and went where ever we pleased searching out the canyons and mountains around Cusco.
I am sad to say I never actually made it to the real Intyramie festival where they slaughter the Black Llama but the guy who brought me down to Peru did. This year was the first year they had stadium stands and they forced the locals to sit on a far off hill where they were chanting "go home gringos" in Spanish. Then halfway through the festival my friend told me a major noise erupted and a sea of black came rushing over the mountain they burst through the Police who were guarding the festival and started charging down the rocks. People were tumbling and fighting to get into place. My friend thought they were going to charge the stands, but once they made it they calmed down and watched the festival. Lesson learned. DONT MESS WITH THE LOCALS.
This was the ultimate trip. Not only did I learn a lot, but I got some good training in, was entertained, almost lost my life several times (thanks taxi drivers), ate some incredible food (and some horrible eats, my stomach was pretty mad at me for the second half of the trip), saw some incredible sights and took in the life.
Not too shabby, enjoy the pics
From the Puta Cusi peak. The mountains go forever and if the peaks would ever get snow they would be the best skiing in the world!
From Puta Cusi looking over to Machu Picchu. It doesn't look like it but Machu Picchu is enormous! It is mind boggeling how they built this up on such steep peaks with such precision.
After hiking the peak in the background and all over Machu Picchu. I found this little nook and fell asleep for a couple of hours. Not a bad site to wake up to.
Here is Tim acting as if he were the King in his private restroom. I guess the rest of the people had to use the woods?
Schwing!!! This is on top of the peak in the last picture and the next picture.
Look at the precision of the rock work. They formed everything around nature and worked with nature trying not to harm her beauty. There is no way you could slide a credit card or a piece of paper through the cracks in the rocks it is so precise.
This hall faces perfectly west. Everything built revolved around the sun and the stars. The building in the back ground is the guard tower. You can see it from any point in the city.
Early Morning
Sunset
Japaneese. I love how they always wear white gloves to keep their skin as white a possible. The whole time I was running around as naked as possible.
Local kids in the big mountains
The precision!
Saksywayman. Sounds like sexy woman! These rocks are over 20 tons and they moved them to these places?????? How? Then they made them fit to perfection?
A Sun Temple...forgot the name
Me on the sacrifical alter
Local dancers
More dancers
Da Boyzzzzz
Eating Qui Qui. Guine Pig. I dont know what they call them in France, but it is like eating frog legs in France.
Here he is pre travel to my belly
Me and Tim on Moto bikes.
Labels: http://bp2.blogger.com/_k5ZTj9QFvJs/SH1xuzTovMI/AAAAAAAAAbc/-DydCzLoikw/s320/DSC01150.JPG
